Negotiating salary and benefits in Turkey

Hello everyone,

Better job prospects in Turkey can most certainly be an incentive to leave your country of origin. Securing a contract with the right salary and benefits for you can be crucial to make your move successful.

Is salary and benefits negotiation regarded as common practice in Turkey? If yes, how should you go about negotiating your package (during the hiring process, on a monthly/yearly basis...)?

What do you expect to be included in terms of benefits in your package? Which benefits do you deem necessary in Turkey?

Is tax on the salary of an expat applicable in Turkey or do you have to turn to tax bodies in your country of origin to pay your taxes?

Do the exchange rates of currencies impact your salary as an expat?

Looking back, are there some changes you would have made during the negotiation of your salary and benefits package?

Thank you for sharing your experience,

Bhavna

Labor is definitely usually undervalued here, stay strong in your demands alas especially when wanting to relocate consider negotiating in dollar euro etc, and figure in cost of living : much more affordable than most european countries: istanbul is a global city, if you can afford to commute a little and work from home, most city hubs are connected well and cheap to big cities with a chance to live/raise family outside urban areas. get with me for more info and a chance for a new media career. stay safe, peace. existanbul/G-MAD

Am a Nigerian considering relocating to Turkey. How do I get a job before coming?

Hi Bhavna, 8ve read your post a s have found it very informative.  Are you currently in Istanbul? Kindly let me know the procedure to get work permit In turkey. I'll be looking forward to your reply.

Best of regards

I'll start by saying, it varies. For most expat packages, your term sheet/employment contract is provided to you and negotiated every year. Yo can certainly negotiate and haggle with your respective employer on the offer, but be aware of the next candidate down the line. Ask too much and you may not be viable any more.

Healthcare is a must and is usually provided in your package, after that, the emoluments will vary from company to company. Smaller companies hardly offer anything more than a car (if it came to that for a senior managerial position or higher), else you don't get much. Just note, that healthcare, especially for expats is more expensive.

Also, if you have children, make sure their tuition fees is included. Foreign students have to enroll in international schools which are prohibitively expensive for many.

Yes you have to pay taxes on your salary. It used to be that salaries were negotiated in US Dollars or Euros. Not any more. There was a law passed and most contracts are now in Turkish Lira, so anytime the Lira weakens, you get impacted (if the mental calculation in your mind is always on how many Dollars you are earning).

If you spend more than 183 days here in Turkey, you're considered a local resident here (as per the tax rules), so your income is taxed as per Turkish Tax Laws. You can show this to the tax authorities at the country of origination and I doubt you would have to pay tax there, as you're not a tax resident any more (that has moved to Turkey when you work here).